In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night

[sign4deaf]

Hello all. So sorry for the incredibly long absence. But I'm finally able to be back and the first thing I wanted to do was deliver on my promise of a female Green Lantern tale. While this story is short, it contains the elements that I always wanted to have in her debut, oh so long ago.

I look forward to all your comments and critiques. I apologize again for being away (damn that real world!) and am so happy to once again be able to play in this wonderful world so many of you have lovingly kept open.

sign4deaf





Six months earlier, blond 18-year old high school student Hallie Jordan walks down the front stairs of Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum on her science class field trip. Walking toward the waiting bus, she is thinking more of that afternoon’s figure skating practice session than the wonders of flight her class has just experienced. Tucking her long golden hair behind an ear, she muses, “I’ve got just enough time to get home and change for practice. Today I’ll wear my teal leotard and sheer tights.” She smiled sheepishly as she recalled the admiring looks her legs got when encased in alluring flesh-colored nylon.

Suddenly the normal D.C. background is pierced by a blaring air-horn. Reflexively snapping her head around, Hallie instantly grasps the situation. In an impossible occurrence, a speeding delivery van has begun a sideways out-of-control skid on the snowy January street, careening directly toward a young handicapped boy whose wheelchair has become lodged atop a streetside grate.

Without conscious thought, the young teenage girl sprints toward the frantic boy. Time almost seems to slow as Hallie, sure-footed from her countless hours on the ice, nears the wheelchair. Reaching the helpless child she grasps him under his arms and pivots into the arms of a waiting man.

But just as the stranger ensures the boy’s escape, the van’s rear bumper clips Hallie’s legs, throwing her several yards away onto the freezing pavement. As her world explodes into a maelstrom of pain, the brave young rescuer sinks gratefully into darkness…

Weeks later, a tear-filled teenage girl tries to stifle her cries. Lying in her hospital bed, Hallie has once again awoken in the middle of the night, unable to ignore the many sources of pain in her mind and body. The visits from her friends and family were well-intentioned, but she was so tired of playing the role of brave hero.

The pain from her crushed legs were the obvious physical sign of her torment, but so much more torturing were the unrelenting reminders of the life she would never have again. While trying to be optimistic, her doctors were unable to evade her direct questioning. Not only were her dreams of Olympic and professional skating gone, she was becoming aware of her therapists increasing opinion that she may never walk again. Even her beautiful, long blond hair was now cut short, necessary for repair of the head injuries she had received from landing hard on the sidewalk.

Through her tears she notices a greenish glow appearing outside her window. She gazes in amazement as a brightly glowing emerald essence nears her window, then seemingly effortlessly passes through the windowglass, coming to rest above her bed. Her room is suffused in green glowing light as the essence surrounds her body, instantly bringing a sensation of peace and her first respite from pain since the accident.

Beyond astonishment, Hallie’s world was forever changed as she could feel the bones, muscles, and tendons in her legs and spine mending themselves. Unspeakable joy flooded her being as she felt her broken body become whole once again. Sobbing uncontrollably, she heard a powerful voice, not with her ears, but resounding through her very mind. “Greetings Hallie Jordan of Earth. You have been chosen by the Guardians of the Universe for displaying valor and a spirit placing others above yourself. You are to become the new guardian of space sector 2184…”




PROLOGUE

Reclining catlike on a sofa in her secret lab, renegade physicist Farbe Prisma rubs her multi-colored tights-clad legs together anxiously. Better known to the world at large as the arch-villainess Rainbow, she watches TV news coverage of the teenage heroine Green Lantern’s rescue of President’s helicopter Marine One when it suffered an engine malfunction near Washington. Sneering, she watched as the green and grey leotard and flesh-colored tights of the powerful heroine sped through the air. Seemingly without effort, a green beam emanated from the Lantern’s famous power ring, surrounding the stricken helicopter’s fuselage and lowered it safely to the ground.

Clad in her skintight multi-hued bodystocking, Rainbow is furious over her rejection by European and US scientists due to her unorthodox research in optical physics and matter transmutation. She has vowed to demonstrate her theories and gain revenge. To do so she must steal the computer controller used by the particle accelerator at George Washington University’s physics department.

But Farbe knows that she will have to defeat this new meddlesome superheroine to carry out her plans. “I must observe this one very closely if I am to have a chance of defeating her…”






IN BRIGHTEST DAY, IN BLACKEST NIGHT…

Several days later a chilly wind blows lightly as Earth’s newest protector is honored at a White House ceremony for her rescue of the President and others. There are multi-colored streamers and confetti everywhere. The powerful nylon-clad young superheroine flies into the Rose Garden using an energy field created by her power ring. Her lithe body touching down lightly on the platform, teenage heroine Green Lantern humbly takes part in the ceremony.

Unbeknownst to those around her, Farbe has used forged press credentials to attend the ceremony and more closely observe Green Lantern. Glancing around to make sure she is unobserved, Farbe uses a hidden remote control to cut through the supports a large TV microwave relay tower, causing it to fall towards the crowd. Responding quickly, the Jade of Justice uses her power ring to fly up and make a green force projection, moving the tower away from the crowd. Being pulled along by the crowd of reporters converging on their savior, Farbe notices bits of confetti clinging to the teenager’s shapely tights-covered legs. Interestingly, she realizes that all the pieces of confetti that on GL’s body are yellow.

**********

A few nights later, the new teen heroine Green Lantern is on patrol above the southern area of metropolitan D.C. Passing near the Navy shipyard she sees a disturbance. Coming closer to investigate, she finds arch-villainess Rainbow, clad in her trademark iridescent bodystocking and mask, trying to break into one of the facility’s weapons research labs. Her efforts had not gone unnoticed, triggering the building’s alarms. She had just used one of her light-grenades to disorient the responding guards.

Just as she had finished making short work of the guards, she sees a bright green glow, surrounding the lithe body of Green Lantern as she hovered several feet off the ground above the brightly-dressed and shapely criminal. “Gee, I’ve never seen a Rainbow at night,” taunted the confident young heroine, her arms crossed above her chest as she waited for her surprised foe to surrender.

Gazing up at her powerful adversary, Rainbow replies, “Well then my pretty, let’s brighten things up for you.” Distracted by Rainbow’s reply, the somewhat inexperienced heroine is taken by surprise as Rainbow fires a handful of brightly-colored incandescent powder, aimed at the hovering heroine. Unprepared, Green Lantern is temporarily blinded by the exploding flash. Her concentration interrupted, the energy field supporting the athletic teenager faltered, allowing the surprised girl to fall unceremoniously to the lawn surrounding the building.

Her pride a bit worse for wear, the lovely teenage heroine regains her feet while the last of the dazzling spots fade from her vision. She notices that Rainbow has used the opportunity to flee and she quickly takes to the air in pursuit. Using her power ring to create a pair of filtering lenses suspended in front of her face as a precaution, she quickly discovers that Rainbow has leapt onto the deck of a moored cargo vessel. More warily this time, Green Lantern slowly approaches, cornering the vile vixen near the opening of the ship’s vast cargo loading bay.

Without warning, Rainbow’s hand lashes out and presses a large control button on a nearby control panel. With the sound of parting cables, a gigantic heavy steel cargo net instantly drops, directly above the intentionally-maneuvered young heroine.

Instantly realizing the trap, Green Lantern uses the energy of her ring, forming a large hand, which easily catches and suspends the heavy gray net several feet above the floating heroine. With a slight tsk-tsk shake of her head, the triumphant tights-clad girl scolds, “Nice try Rainbow. But it looks like this cloud doesn’t have a silver lining.”

“Oh I quite agree,” the villainess defied. “That’s why at the end of every rainbow, there’s a pot of GOLD!” And with that she quickly pressed an area of her costume’s tight-fitting belt.

An odd electrical-sounding hum was the only warning Green Lantern received as she looked up, and in amazement watched the heavy steel net’s color transform from metallic gray to shiny yellow. Instantly the net, having been transmuted into the only color against which green Lantern’s vast energy was completely powerless, passed harmlessly through the stunned heroine’s defenses. The oppressive weight of the net was more than enough to slam the now defenseless young heroine to the ship’s wooden deck.

Her athletic body feeling the abuse of her fall and the crushing mass of steel cables, the vulnerable young teenager struggled to somehow free herself from this insidious trap. She needed time to gather her focus as she tried vainly to move her spandex-covered upper body and arms, or untangle the heavy fibers entwining her flesh-colored tights-clad legs.

But time was a luxury her powerful foe wasn’t about to grant. Her skintight costume whispering against itself with her movements, Rainbow kneels beside the imperiled heroine. “I’ll… get out… of this… trap…, you evil… witch!” cried the defiant struggling young captive.

“Oh I’m sure you would,” purred her opponent, “Given time. But it’s late, my lrecious little Lantern. Time for lights out.” And without pause, the brightly-colored bandit produced a small yellow capsule from her belt. Crushing it between her fingers, Rainbow gently blew the contained yellow powder directly into the face of the writhing young superheroine. Having no defense she could mount, Green Lantern was powerless to prevent the knockout powder from having its desired effect.

**********

Green Lantern awakens groggily, slowly recovering from Rainbow’s knockout powder. Thinking she is immobilized by bonds to a hard surface, she quickly realizes she is pinned by unseen force, keeping her hovering in mid-air, nothing touching her athletic nylon-covered body. “What’s going on?” she thinks, struggling in vain against her invisible cocoon. Her head able to move slightly, she notices everything around her is lit with a subtle yellow hue. Several yards beyond her seemingly floating form rests a metal-framed polyhedron, completely surrounding her on all sides. On its six faces are mounted small machines resembling ordinary LCD projectors, their glowing lenses pointing toward her.

From just beyond the encircling metal framework, she sees the alluring form of her captor, Rainbow. “I was disappointed to find that annoying ring of yours just wouldn’t come off, no matter how hard I tried. It seems that the tale of how such a ring can only be removed by the Lantern herself is true. But I’m also betting that there’s nothing to stop me from possessing it once its power has been exhausted.”

Trying and failing to escape, the young heroine replies, “You’ll never…, uh…, get away with this. Uh…! What are you…, trying to do? What evil snare…, uh…, have you used against me?”

“I do hope you appreciate the trouble I’ve gone to in order to ‘get hold of you’ as it were,” the arch villainess cooed, gloating seductively. “Those goons in theoretical research never realized the power I could’ve given them. My greatest invention, powerful force projection units, manipulates the very structure of light itself. Thus allowing me to not only construct your very ingenious prison, but ensure your powerlessness by subtly coloring all the light inside the polyhedron yellow.”

Held fast in the grip of Rainbow’s diabolical force projection units, the Jade of Justice tried with all her strength to break free. Her struggles were without effect; while the force created a space large enough to allow her to breath and make the slightest of arm, leg, and head movements, she remained affixed in place as if the very air around her had been turned into stone.

“I’ll…, uh…, break free of…, uh…, your evil… prison,” protested the struggling teen heroine. Focusing her will, the Emerald Avenger used her control of her power ring to manifest an unstoppable drill, spinning to break through Rainbow’s surrounding vise. But even as the green energy emerged from the ring, it dissipated into nothingness as it came into contact with the air within the yellow-tinged environment.

The imprisoned young teenager could not conceal a look of shock and fear as she realized her true helplessness. “Oh no,” she thought. “I’m caught like a fly on flypaper!” Her realization of despair did not go unnoticed by her nylon-clad captor.

“Yes my pretty young thing,” Rainbow said, almost sympathetically. “I have made you completely powerless. You are mine, unable to foil my grander plans. But don’t worry, once your fabled power ring is in my possession, I will learn its secrets. Just as I have learned the secret to defeating you. All I need to do is hold you prisoner until your fabulous ring has exhausted its charge. Assuming that you might’ve recharged just prior to my trap last night, that will occur in about 12 hours from now.”

Writhing futilely ever so slightly in the dastardly force field’s grasp, the teenager’s face showed her surprise. “How did… you learn…, uh…, my weaknesses?” she gasped, her inexperience inadvertently confirming Rainbow’s evil machinations.

“You underestimate me, my precious little prisoner,” purred her shapely captor with a slight pout. “Between my own observations and the readily available information on the internet, it was a simple matter to ensnare you. You superheroines really shouldn’t let your foes post such revealing data on you. But as much fun as it is watching you struggle, I have a timetable to ‘adhere’ to.” She chuckled menacingly at her own pun. “Don’t worry though, I’ll be back in plenty of time to remove that fantastic piece of, shall we say ‘costume jewelry.’ And I will need you to reveal the location of that famous power battery, forcing me to use methods that, in your helpless state, you’ll be completely unable to resist.”

The alluring nylon-wearing villainess then smiled and dismissively turned, walking away. The teen crimefighter felt a wave of despair as she slumped within the seemingly inescapable grip holding her fast. “This thing is…, uh…, almost as…, uh…, snug as my tights,” she thought as she tried to pull and move her shapely legs. “Feel like…, uh…, a fly trapped in amber.” No matter how much she struggled, no movements of her lithe young figure allowed her to break free from the diabolical trap.

Trying to calm her rising panic, Earth’s teenage Green Lantern pondered her situation. “There’s nothing I can manifest from my ring to pierce those yellow beams of force. The only things in here that aren’t yellow are me and the air. The air… That’s it!”

With her last reserves of strength, the imprisoned young heroine uses the power of her emerald ring to create a tiny, tenuous thread of green energy, weaving it slowly among the air molecules within the encircling polyhedron. Using all her might to concentrate, she focuses, willing the air molecules to spin around her. Desperately the tights-clad teenager begins to construct a spinning green tornado. Weakly hanging within the evil machine’s grip, she focuses all her waning energy as the vortex spins, creating a growing outward pressure/

As the oxygen is sucked from the center of the vortex, the already weakened Green Lantern struggles to remain conscious. “So… weak. Must… focus,” she thinks, even as her vision begins to darken. “Can’t… stop. Must… resist. Got to… hang on.” As she slowly loses the battle to stay awake, through her heavy eyelids she glimpses what seems to be a flexing outward of the metal framework.

Suddenly there is a muffled crash and the exhausted teen heroine is dropped limply to the floor, the polyhedron and its insidious trap blown outward and destroyed by the now dissipating wind. The nylon-clad teen lies amidst shattered fragments of Rainbow’s trap. As her body greedily absorbs much-needed oxygen, the lithe young girl valiantly tries to rise, her tights-covered feet and legs weak and unsteady.

Having experienced a crushing defeat, the still-weakened Green Lantern knew she was in no condition to face Rainbow again. She needed to not only recharge her ring but also rest and recuperate from her capture and imprisonment. Summoning her slowly returning energy, she creates an aura of emerald energy and uses it to shakily levitate and begin her return home. As she is carried away by the comforting green glow, she thinks, “Next time you won’t catch me so off guard. Next time Rainbow…”

[Caniac89]

An excellent little short and I look forward to more of your tales in the future. Well done sir.

[sign4deaf]

Thanks fellow NCian. I've been away for quite some time. If you go far enough back in the Stories forum you can read my earlier work. Hope you enjoy and I always appreciate both comments and criticisms.

[SGWriter]

Great stuff Sign, liked Rainbows trap and how she learned about GL's weakness through observing her. Hope to see these two again. Maybe next time GL can be wrapped up in yellow chains :mrgreen:

[sign4deaf]

Great stuff Sign, liked Rainbows trap and how she learned about GL's weakness through observing her. Hope to see these two again. Maybe next time GL can be wrapped up in yellow chains :mrgreen:

Great to hear from you sgz6. And humbly, a thousand apologies for the 5 year delay in putting forth even the smallest of Green Lantern stories. I promise that the next time I write with her, it will be a much more involved tale. Right now I'm putting together a new Robin story more in line with my previous work. Trying to "get back on the horse" you might say. I'll just say that I'm introducing a new suppervillain to play with; think 'Gordon Gekko gone bad'.

Always appreciate your comments. Love the yellow chains idea. I really value your input as your writing and ideas most closely match my tastes than anyone else on here. Most of the guys (and supposed girls) on here seem to gravitate toward a darker and more sexually graphic place than I prefer.

Hope all is well with you and yours. Looking forward to reading more of your incredible work and maybe evem getting the chance to collaborate sometime.

Be well.

sign4deaf

[sign4deaf]

If you're interested, look back at the story and you'll see an updated Green Lantern image. Since she's in college now (thanks SGZ6!), I changed her look just a bit.

[sign4deaf]

And just to get back in the swing of things.